Suzanne Somers' 8 Ways to Recharge Your Metabolism After 40

Trying to lose weight in 2013? Now's a perfect time to focus on recharging your metabolism — especially if you're over 40. At this age, certain hormones begin dipping and a healthy diet alone isn't enough to keep the extra weight off. These days we're also constantly exposed to toxins, the food we buy is losing its nutrients; and we're less active than we once were. To successfully lose weight after 40, you need to understand that imbalanced hormones and chemicals have a huge impact on your health. It IS possible, however, to live a clean, healthy, and long life — with a slim body, even after 40! The following lifestyle changes can help you reboot your system and achieve the body you want.

Embrace Real Food

If you want to stay Sexy Forever, you must eat real food that comes from nature! A simple rule of thumb is to shop the periphery of the grocery store — that’s where you’ll find meat, fish, dairy, and vegetables. Choose high-quality protein such as healthy, grass-fed beef and lamb and organic chicken and pork, and eat them in moderation. I also recommend organic fruits and veggies, so they’re free of pesticides, chemicals, and other toxins. Be sure to include omega-3 fats in your diet, like perilla oil, flaxseed oil, fish oil, and those derived from eating cold-water fish, such as wild-caught salmon and sardines. Steer clear of food additives like harmful glutenates, (including MSG) sugar, processed foods, bad oils, margarine, shortening, and refined foods. Remember: if it comes in a bag or a box, it is most likely processed and contains chemicals and preservatives. Once you start weaning yourself from these foods, the cravings will go away.

Detox Your Liver

If you’ve gained weight, especially around your midsection, it may be a sign that your liver is not functioning properly. Your liver is your vital detoxification organ, and if it becomes overloaded with toxins from the food, drink, or medications you’re consuming, you’ll have more toxins circulating throughout your body, damaging your organs and glands. Detoxing your liver will help it work more efficiently — and help you slim your waistline. Start the detoxing process by cutting down on sugar, cutting out artificial sweeteners and trans-fatty acids, re-evaluating your need for over-the-counter pain relievers, discussing healthier alternatives for prescription medications with your doctor, limiting your alcohol consumption to just two servings (preferably of red wine) just a couple of times a week, and practicing regular colonics and enemas to irrigate the colon and clean out constipation.

Limit Your Toxin Exposure

It’s not a coincidence that the average toxic burden on Americans and the obesity rate in this country are both higher than ever. But not everyone who carries a heavy toxic load is fat. Some people’s bodies manifest the impact of toxins in other ways, such as fatigue, autoimmune diseases, allergies and food intolerances, and cancer. Reduce your toxic load by replacing chemical-based cleaning products with natural ones like distilled white vinegar, baking soda, borax, and other products from your health food store. Next, take stock of your personal care items and switch to certified toxin-free skin, body, and beauty products. Keep the air clean in your home by installing air filters and proper ventilation, and keeping indoor plants. And finally, filter your water! Unfortunately, our tap water is a major source of toxic chemicals.

Tackle Food Allergies

Your body’s ability to digest nutrients and eliminate waste is crucial to good health and weight loss, but these days, food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances are wreaking havoc. The simple act of eating is causing people all sorts of uncomfortable symptoms from digestive complications to skin problems. It’s not always easy to connect a symptom to a specific food, but identifying the culprit can change the way you feel. The more allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances you have, the more your body will react, causing you discomfort and making you susceptible to various diseases — and less likely to lose weight (possibly also more likely to gain it!). The good news is that you can take a blood test to check for food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances, and then change your diet to eliminate the offending foods.

Use Fiber and Probiotics to Fight Fat

When your body absorbs toxins, it stores them in fat, which is why fiber and probiotics are strategic weapons for weight loss. Fiber keeps your colon healthy and reduces your body’s absorption of toxins. Aim for 35 grams of fiber daily with plenty of water. If you can’t get all your fiber from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, consider an organic fiber additive. Probiotics also aid in digestive health by supporting beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract. Good bacteria enable your body to fend off incoming toxins, absorb nutrients more efficiently, promote good colon function, and strengthen the immune system. Good bacteria naturally decrease with age, but you can increase it by eating yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut. You may also want to supplement with a high-potency probiotic that contains 80 billion bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.

Supplement to Speed Weight-Loss

Who would ever think that a tiny little pill could be the key to turning your body into a fat-burning engine? But with the right sorts of supplements, you could correct nutritional deficiencies brought on by aging, other medications you're taking, or simply a less-than-optimal diet — and boost your health while you're shrinking your waistline. Here are a few you should consider adding to your medicine cabinet: an omega-3 supplement, which can boost your heart and brain health in addition to helping you lose weight; CoQ, which helps your body burn fats and carbs more efficiently; green tea, which can boost your metabolic rate by 4 percent for 24 hours and elevates your adrenaline for an extended period of time; carnitine, which regulates fat transfer in the mitochondria, where it’s broken down to create energy; and lipoic acid, which helps stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day.

Lose Weight by Sleeping

Good quality sleep is essential for a slim and sexy body. It takes seven to eight hours of sleep each night for your body to rejuvenate. Sleep also helps control your appetite, so lack of sleep can translate into weight problems. When you reach mid-life, your hormones estrogen and progesterone begin to decline. And as they do, your cortisol, insulin, thyroid, and adrenals rise. If your insulin, which is a fat-storing hormone, stays high, you’ll gain weight. This is the reason that eating a healthy diet is no longer enough to keep weight off for people who are 40 and older. So the bottom line here is: Get more sleep! Retrain yourself to go to bed by 10 p.m. and keep your bedroom dark, comfortable, and conducive to a full night’s rest.

Exercise

Exercise is vital to health and weight control at any age, but once you hit 30 years old, your lean muscle mass begins declining. If you don’t build it up through weight training and other exercise, you’ll start losing calorie-burning muscle and gain more weight with each year that passes. The three main components you must focus on to stay fit are: Flexibility, aerobic exercise, and strength training. For flexibility, try yoga or Pilates. To get your heart pumping with aerobic exercise, walk briskly for at least a half an hour each day, or ride a bicycle, work out on an elliptical machine, or go up and down the stairs 10 times. For strength training, start with a low 2- or 5-pound weight and work your way up to doing reps with more weight.

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